


Let the Children Decide

by Kalimdor



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Oneshot, Peacetime, canon I barely know her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25862155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalimdor/pseuds/Kalimdor
Summary: On a hot day in times of peace, the children of Stormwind play in the fountain at Lion's Rest. Jaina and Sylvanas are surprised at just who exactly they pretend to be when locked in the midst of mock-combat.
Relationships: Jaina Proudmoore/Sylvanas Windrunner
Comments: 20
Kudos: 253





	Let the Children Decide

**Author's Note:**

> Make this as 'canon' as you want it to be, but its peacetime :D

“FOR THE HORDE!”

That was probably the last thing Jaina expected to hear cutting through the roar of the fountain below. It was all the more weird that it was in the reedy pitch of a child’s voice, a  _ human  _ child’s voice. 

The battle cry of another child sounded in response, followed by the clashing of wooden swords below. She rolled her eyes with a fond smile on her face and proceeded to turn back to her book, only to nearly drop it over the battlement she was perched on in surprise when she heard what could only be a pinpoint impression of her wife. 

“You will go no further Void scum! Victory for the Forsaken!  _ Tal anu’...uh…”  _ The child trailed off in her botched attempt at elvish but charged anyway, hand outstretched as if pulling back an invisible bowstring, firing a series of ‘arrows’ that she punctuated with a  _ whooshing  _ sound through her lips. 

Jaina snorted, the book fully forgotten now, and sat up straighter to watch the exchange below. 

“Quick!” The boy yelled to the counterpart he’d just been fighting only moments earlier. “She’s firing on us, let’s team up!” 

The other boy nodded and the two turned toward the girl in tandem, swords raised as they advanced on her with matching grins. 

“You can’t team up! That’s not fair!” The girl whined, still firing arrows as she backed away. The boys continued to bat away at the invisible projectiles with their swords while they set upon a slow and menacing march toward their quarry. 

“That’s pretty much along the lines of what I thought back at the gates of Orgrimmar.” A dry voice muttered behind her and Jaina couldn’t help but chuckle as she reached behind her to cup the side of her wife’s face, directing it so that Sylvanas could scoot closer and watch the commotion over Jaina’s shoulder. 

“But look,” Jaina murmured, “she’s not giving up.” 

“Of course she wouldn’t, she’s the Banshee Queen.” 

Jaina rolled her eyes at that but kept the proud smile as the girl darted behind the fountain just as one of the boys clumsily charged her. 

“Yes, that’s right.” Sylvanas’s cool breath tickled Jaina’s neck as she leaned closer, truly invested in the mock fight below. “You’re faster than them, keep your distance, fill them with arrows.” 

Jaina outright cackled at that, shuffling backwards as Sylvanas’s legs fell either side of her, arms encompassing her in a gentle embrace. “You’re way too invested in this.” 

“Am I? It’s not everyday someone would be brave enough to play as public enemy number one.” 

“That’s not true!” Jaina exclaimed, turning around to glare at Sylvanas who merely stared back with dry humor shimmering in her crimson eyes. “Not anymore. You’ve proven yourself time and time again Sylv, only a fool would not see you for the hero you are now.” 

“Then by your definition, Stormwind is but a city of fools.” 

“Sylvanas…” 

“She plays me well.” Sylvanas quickly changed the subject, glad that she could no longer flush as she gestured back to the playing children below. “She’s faster than them and she knows it, she’ll run them in circles before they can even land a hit.” 

And it was true; the girl was in her element, fine blonde hair catching the sun as she flew over the sun-bleached grass. Bare feet barely touching the ground, she sped away from the two boys, taunting all the while. 

“C’mon slowpokes, you can’t deflect  _ every  _ arrow I fire.” 

“Yes I can!” One of the boys huffed and continued to do just that, slashing at the air with a breathless grunt as she shot another one.

“Her mother should buy her a training bow.” Sylvanas muttered. “That way they couldn’t deny the hit when it smacks them square in the face.” 

“Sylvanas.” Jaina chided, but couldn’t help but agree. “It’s true though, they are not playing fair.” 

“Then perhaps, dear wife, we should even the scales.” 

* * *

The girl was getting frustrated, they  _ always  _ did this- ganged up on her and made up the rules so she could  _ never _ win. But she wouldn’t cry or run complaining to her mother, they would only call her a snitch... and besides, she was the  _ Banshee Queen!  _ She would never have given up no matter how unfair the matchup was, or how cruel or unfairly the enemy was playing. 

They were so  _ slow _ anyway, they would get tired before too long and then she could attack… and stamp on their toes for good measure for playing like cowards. 

She fired another arrow, knowing it to be useless as once more they would ‘deflect’ it with their swords. She was pretty sure that wasn’t how battle worked at all, but her idiot friends would be too stubborn to admit that. However,  _ this _ ‘arrow’ felt different.  _ This  _ time rather than an imaginary projectile flying through the air, something wispy and black- like a thin stream of smoke flew- from her fingertips straight toward the boy who swung wide with his sword and hit him square on the forehead. 

“Ow!” The boy exclaimed angrily. “What was that!” 

The girl skidded to a halt and glanced at her hand, half in shock, half in awe. Did she just…? 

“Well?” The boy marched forward, a deep frown on his face as he rubbed at a non existent mark on his forehead. “What was it?” 

“I don’t know!” The girl exclaimed, panicking slightly. “I don’t know what I did!” 

“Well… it hurt!” 

“She’s got banshee powers!” The other one exclaimed excitedly, jogging forward to inspect her outstretched palm before backing away and presenting himself like a target range. “Do it again, fire it at me instead.” 

The girl did as instructed and another wispy black projectile exploded from her hand.

“Ah that tickles!” He giggled, running a hand through his messy hair that had been displaced from the blast before turning to his friend with a smug expression on his face. “And you said it hurt, it didn’t hurt  _ me  _ at all.” 

“Well, the first one hit harder I think.” The other boy grumbled, suddenly embarrassed at being caught out for playing it up. 

“This is so cool.” The girl breathed, wide eyed and holding her hands out in front, still a little wary of her newfound powers. But when she looked up she was shocked to see her two friends backing away, faces pale and drained of blood, a tall shadow fell across the grass and she turned to look up with a trembling gasp.

“I’m sorry to have startled you like that little one, I thought you could use a hand fending off these two honorless ruffians, though you performed admirably in keeping them in check so far.” 

The two boys shuffled awkwardly on their feet, sending worried glances to the horrified expressions of their parents off in the distance, looking as though ready to hurry across the park and swoop them to safety at the sight of the former Warchief strolling her way toward their sons. The girl however, the girl all but beamed up at the undead elf who smiled gently down at her, careful not to bare her fangs as she cocked her ears in a playful manner. 

“The Banshee Queen.” The girl breathed in awe and the elf responded with a low chuckle. 

“Call me Sylvanas, please. Now what say you little archer, care to team up?” 

The little girl's stomach squirmed with excitement as she nodded eagerly. 

* * *

“At ease, my friends.” Jaina muttered as she blinked behind the three sets of bristling parents who stared at the exchange with a mix of horror and disbelief. “You are staring at what was once a hero of the Alliance before you were born and now an even greater champion of Azeroth.” 

“L-lady Proudmoore,” one of them stuttered, further startled by her presence, a flush bleeding into his cheeks as he took in her disapproving gaze with one pale blonde eyebrow raised. “It’s not that, it’s just that we…we worry. Her powers are that of undeath and our children are…”

“Very much safe.” Jaina chided. “In fact I would say they are safer now more than ever. While she is here, nothing could ever hurt them.” Her eyes seemed to shimmer with emotion as she gazed upon her wife, her wife who’d approached the girl with very little coaxing from Jaina, her wife who the entire time had a bemused tilt to her ears as if dumbfounded that anyone could view her with something other than fear or hatred. 

“Well I can only trust in your judgment that that’s the case.” The clipped words came from the mother this time, her mouth pressed into a stern line as her eyes bore into Jaina’s as if to say.  _ It’s your fault, if anything happens. Anything she says or tries to do, it’s all on you.  _

Jaina could live with that. She trusted Sylvanas more than anything and seeing her crouch down next to the girl, tilting up her hand so that the shadowy wisps of power coalesced in her palm while the little human bounced on her heels with excitement- it was everything. The boys in turn squealed, not in true fear but in delight of the chase and ran away and Jaina’s heart soared at the exchange. 

“She’s filling her head with ideas,” the man grumbled. “It’s only going to disappoint her further when she finds out she cannot cast those herself.” 

“And why not?” Jaina peered at him, not unkindly. She knew the type he was; gruff, steeped in pessimism- the kind that thought it best to keep things realistic, to ground his children in reality rather than have them foolishly reach for the stars. She thought that perhaps him and her father might have been good friends if they’d ever met and she allowed a tired, yet understanding smile. “I think her learning the idea of casting will set her up quite nicely for her future as a mage.” 

The two of them gasped in unison, the casual statement made by Jaina as paramount to them as an outright declaration of war. 

“You mean…” the mother stumbled over her words. “You can sense...?” 

“But of course, and rather strongly at that.” Jaina smiled at her gently. “She will be quite the mage, I look forward to seeing what kind of caster she will be, and testing that willful mettle later on in her education.” 

“It never manifested itself thus far and we just assumed she was…” the man gestured lamely, “like us.” 

“Like what? A powerful warrior, a dexterous archer? A skillful master of the Pandaren arts? A scholar, a captain?” Jaina laughed. “Magic does not a great person make, and it is folly to use that as an excuse.” Jaina then caught herself at that statement and at the slightly dry expressions both parents had when meaningfully looking her. 

“But of course” she backtracked, “please, don’t take that from me, take it from that simple, wonderful archer over there.” Jaina couldn’t help the adoration in her tone. “Sylvanas was never born gifted in the arcane, the power she has now was clawed from sheer will and grit alone. Circumstance never stopped her,  _ death  _ never faltered her, and your daughter could not have chosen a better hero to have looked up to.” 

Jaina left them to ponder that. While the general populous of Stormwind was distrusting and sometimes downright hostile to The Dark Lady, Jaina thought that if a little girl could play at being her so freely, then the future looked to be bright. 

_ “A mage, she’s a mage!” The mother’s frenzied whispers drifted out of earshot.  _

Well... perhaps any lesson taught was drowned out by the excitement for their gifted daughter, but she hoped that it was enough for them to keep their mouths shut and let their daughter bask in her excitement as she grabbed ahold of Sylvanas’s hand, completely unfazed by the coolness of her skin. 


End file.
